IRB & Emirates Airline Launch Rugby Photograph of the Year 2009

17 August 2009 15:40pm

By

The International Rugby Board and Emirates Airline have launched the Rugby Photograph of the Year 2009 competition. A fantastic trip for two to the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens at the end of November awaits the winner of the prestigious competition.

The winning photograph will again capture the spirit of Rugby, emulating Matthew Impey's 'Gladiator' which took the top prize in 2008 and was selected from over 200 entries from around the world.

This is the fourth year of the competition which is open to both professional and amateur photographers, and attracted a record number of entrants in 2008.

The judges will again be looking for a stand out picture that depicts Rugby's unique blend of qualities, including teamwork, camaraderie, fellowship, skill and fair play. Photographs can be submitted from all levels of the Game, from Test arena action shots and supporters to behind the scenes snapshots or an image of community Rugby life.

After careful consideration of each of the entries, a shortlist of six photographs will be selected by the IRB's panel of judges, including Paul Morgan (Rugby World) and Dave Rogers (Getty Images), and the overall winner will receive a fantastic trip for two to the Dubai Rugby Sevens, courtesy of Emirates Airline, including flights, accommodation and tickets. The five runners up will have their photographs published alongside the winning entry in the IRB World Rugby Yearbook 2010, which will be on the bookshelves in early November.

To enter the competition photographers must email a jpeg of no less than 300 dpi of their chosen photograph to photooftheyear@irb.com or send a 15" x 12" print to Photo 2009, International Rugby Board, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland by no later than 17:00 GMT on August 21, 2009.

Dodgy tattoos, carthorses, Avatar and soft chins are revealed by Wales Sevens players Tom Williams and Sam Cross as they profile the Wales Sevens squad taking part in Hong Kong this weekend in the latest round of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The youngest member of the Wales Women's squad, Keira Bevan, is hoping to repay the faith shown in her when she starts her first Six Nations game against Italy tomorrow evening in the final round of the championship.

Sevens head coach Gareth Williams is a happy man after drafting in full internationals Rhodri Williams and Adam Warren for the next two rounds of the world series in Hong Kong and Japan, as WRU TV's Graeme Gillespie discovers.